Scholarships

I'm not a terribly rich guy, so I never reject any free money. And one of the legal ways to get free money is through scholarships. I sincerely believe in my own abilities, but I haven't been able to get any real scholarships. Part of the reason is that some scholarships aren't free (as in 0 cents).

Before I started college, I applied for two scholarships - one at the college, the other via The Star Education fund. I managed to get an interview for both - but was eventually turned down. Why? They felt I was too rich. Well, those weren't exactly the words they used, but I get the idea when they related to me a sad story of some underprivilaged kid. I mean, of course I feel sorry for him or her, but if the scholarship was to be given out on the basis of poverty, why call me up in the first place? They have, after all, my father's income statement (Form J) so they knew how much he earned.

But at least I gained some valuable interviewing skills.

That was 2 years ago. Last week, Amy told me that the University of New South Wales, Australia offered a full scholarship for students with academic excellence. She's planning to finish her degree overseas, so she knows a little about such stuff. Of course I got excited! I'd love for an opportunity to study overseas for free! As it stands, Dad doesn't plan to send me overseas, and neither do I due to the exorbitant costs of living and tuition fees. But, hey, if someone's paying for it, why not?

So I headed to the University Placement Office and inquired about it. I was a little disappointed that I had to pay Aussie $50 for the application - and that was just for the application - there is no guarantee you'll get accepted in the first place. I always wondered why they needed so much money to do some simple paperwork? It's not like stamps cost $10! Furthermore, the limited scholarships only cover tuition fees, so I'll still have to shell out the costs of living in Sydney, not exactly the cheapest place in Australia to stay.

The staff assisting me proceeded to show me various scholarships from other Australian unis but I had lost interest by then. None of the scholarships that I was elligible for covered 100% tuition fees and gave living allowances. I know I'm hard to please, but that is the only way Dad will approve of the plan. Most of the scholarships she showed me either gave a 50% discount on tuition fees, full living allowances (but no discount on tuition fees), or just something in between.

I currently have a CGPA of 4.00 (ahem!) which I'm planning to maintain until the end of my course. It also means that I can easily be considered for the scholarships, but I may be wasting a lot of unnecessary money on application fees. Plus, they are not really full scholarships so it's just not what I'm looking for.

Moving on, I'll apply for the Rhodes scholarship from the British Council once I graduate next year. Basically, only one scholarship is offered every year to the whole of Malaysia. It covers everything for one to study their Master's in the UK. I'll be going against some tough nails, but I believe I have what it takes.